Page 6 - Pakistan Link - March 26, 2021

P6 – PAKISTAN LINK – MARCH 26, 2021 OPINION
n By Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai There is a convergent thinking among

Washington, DC Kashmir & the Role of the United States Indian, Pakistan and American scholars that
key to progress of peace in Afghanistan lies in
he Kashmir question is one of the The part played traditionally by the principle of the self determination of people Kashmir. On one hand, Indian independent

oldest unresolved international prob- United States Government is apparent from which is enshrined in Article I of the Char- thinker and writer, Pankaj Mishra wrote in
Tlems in the world. Th e experience of the appeal made by President Harry Truman ter as one of the key purposes for which the the New York Review of Books, “As always,
nearly seven decades has shown that it will and British Prime Minister, Clement Attlee United Nations exists.” the road to stability in Pakistan and Afghani-
not go away and that an ef- that any contentious issues between India Unfortunately, all these pronouncements stan runs through the valley of Kashmir,”
fort is urgently required to and Pakistan relating to the implementation and commitments by the United States re- and on the other hand, Pakistani journalist,
resolve it on a durable basis. of the agreement on Kashmir must be sub- main unfulfilled until today and the Kashmir Ahmed Rashid wrote in ‘Foreign Affairs’ on

‘Durable’, in this context is mitted to arbitration; the appointment of an dispute has brought both India and Pakistan October 11, 2010, “The road to Ka-bul runs

synonymous with ‘equitable’. eminent American, Admiral Chester Nimitz, to the brink of a nuclear catastrophe. Now, through Kashmir…There can be no peace

It is imperative, whatever be as Plebiscite Administrator on Kashmir; the it is being said that peace between India and in Afghanistan until these two neighbors (In-
the rights and wrongs in the appeal personally made in 1962 by President dia and Pakistan) sit down and talk about a

equation as far as arguments John F. Kennedy to the President of Ireland to “…The United States does common approach to both Kabul and Kash-
go, real populations with a pronounced the effect that Ireland sponsor a resolu- mir, rather than negotiating by proxy war.”

sense of identity of their own, with their suf- tion on Kashmir in the Security Council re- not need to intervene And see the similarities of idea with

fering and their aspirations rather than just affirming the resolutions of the Commission; directly in Kashmiri an American journalist, Jonathan Tepper-

legal title and merit are involved. the forceful advocacy by the US Delegation of man who wrote in Newsweek on February
The Kashmir dispute primarily involves points regarding the demilitarization of Kash- negotiations to support 10, 2010, “To understand why Kashmir is so

the life and future of the 23 million people of mir preparatory to the plebiscite at countless important to Afghanistan, start with the fact
the land. Because of its impact on relations meetings of the Security Council from the the Indo-Pakistani peace that the US can’t defeat the Afghan insurgen-
between India and Pakistan, however, it di- years 1947-48 to 1962 and its sponsorship of process. It does, however, cy without Pakistan’s help. Fear of India also

rectly affects the peace and stability of the re- twelve substantive resolutions of the Coun- keeps Pakistan from putting enough troops
gion of South Asia that includes Afghanistan cil to that effect; the protracted negotiations need to rediscover the on its 2,250-kilometer-long Afghan border,

as well. This is a region, which contains one- conducted by another distinguished Ameri- which the Taliban still cross at will… Yet even

fifth of the total human race. can, Mr Frank Graham, from 1951 to 1958 in sense of urgency and he (Richard Holbrooke) concedes that Kash-

The following considerations are most the effort to bring about the demilitarization mir makes Afghanistan “more difficult to re-

pertinent for an assessment of the dispute by of Kashmir, making possible the holding of a international leadership solve,” and Washington simply can’t afford to
the policy-making agencies and personalities free and impartial plebiscite. that characterized its avoid it if it hopes to leave the region any time
of the world powers, including the United Secretary of State John Foster Dulles stat- soon.”
States. ed on 5 February 1957 that: “We continue to engagement with Kashmir And Dutch Independent write and re-
When the Kashmir dispute erupted in believe that unless the parties are able to agree searcher, Laura Schuurmans is equally pas-
1947-1948, the United States championed the upon some other solution, the solution which in the 1950s and early sionate to suggest to the world powers to
stand that the future status of Kashmir must was recommended by the Security Council 1960s” intervene in both crises: Kashmir and Af-

be ascertained in accordance with the wishes should prevail, which is that there should be ghanistan. She wrote in November 2013, “The
and aspirations of the people of the territory. a plebiscite. world will have to take notice of this issue if

The United States was the principal sponsor of On 15 June 1962, the American repre- Pakistan could help unlock another conflict it really wants stable and durable peace in

the resolution #47 which was adopted by the sentative to the United Nations, Adlai Steven- with even higher stakes for the United States: Afghanistan, South Asian subcontinent and
Security Council on 21 April 1948 and which son, stated, “ ... The best approach is to take the war in Afghanistan. Indeed, a growing consequently the whole world….A new be-

was based on that unchallenged principle. for a point of departure the area of common chorus of experts has begun arguing that the ginning can start from Kashmir and therefore,
Following the resolution, the United States ground which exists between the parties. I road to Kabul runs through Kashmir — that peace and stability can return to Afghanistan
as a leading member of the United Nations refer of course to the resolutions which were the US will never stabilize the former without through the valleys of Kashmir.”
Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP), accepted by both parties and which in essence peace in the latter. Suddenly, bringing India Incidentally, it was just on March 8, 2021
adhered to that stand. The basic formula for provide for demilitarization of the territory and Pakistan together seems to be very much that Zalmay Khalilzad, US Negotiator on Af-

settlement was incorporated in the resolu- and a plebiscite whereby the population may in America’s interest. Which makes the Biden ghanistan met with General Bajwa of Pakistan
tions of that Commission adopted on 13 Au- freely decide the future status of Jammu and administration’s determination to avoid the and discussed the issue of Afghanistan and
gust 1948 and 5 January 1949. Kashmir. This is in full conformity with the issue increasingly hard to fathom. KASHMIR, P8

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